Make Your Own Bird Food!

While buying bird food is by far the easiest option to keep your feathered friends full and happy, there are some brands that contain things that birds won’t eat. So instead of wasting money on a bag of feed that only has a few things birds enjoy, why not try making your own bird food? There are a multitude of easy recipes for both bird seed and suet, some of which are listed below.

Suet

1 c cornmeal

1 c sugar

1/2 c flour

3/4 c water

1 c lard

1 c peanut butter

1 c raisins

Combine all the dry ingredients in a bowl and set aside. Microwave peanut butter and lard until soft, about 2 minutes, and add to dry mixture. Press into a mold and refrigerate until firm or spread directly onto tree branches for more birds to enjoy at a time.

Bird Seed

The beauty of this recipe is that you can choose how much you want to make and then use equal amounts of each ingredient.

Sunflower seeds, hull on

Raw peanuts, shelled

Raisins or any other type of dried fruit (e.g. diced apples, blueberries, cranberries)

Cracked corn

Mealworms*

Combine everything except the mealworms in a large, air-tight container and store in a cool, dry place until ready to use. To use, spread a few scoops on a platform feeder and sprinkle with the mealworms; birds will flock to this fabulous treat!

*The Family Tree stocks quality dried mealworms with our bird feed; stop by to pick some up and please your birds today!